In Which I Wish Atlantis FSM Speed (And Pay No Attention To The Tears)

Few things on earth excite me like a launch
Of big tin cans of people into space.
And often many tissues, for to staunch
My tears are needed; I screw up my face
And cry in pride and awe (and jealousy).
Today's was diff'rent, though; there's only two
More shuttle missions left, then we will be
A-paying fares to Russia. I am blue
E'en as I wonder with dear IsoBan
How can the generation who first tried
Not join me in deploring this odd con,
This bait-and-switch. Manned space travel has died
In my homeland, and with it my pastime:
"Winos For Souyeuz" won't be fun to rhyme.

In Which I Press My Nose Against More Virtual Glass

Bus-envy is not common, at least not
Amongst the saner people whom I know.
I would include myself within that lot,
Except today, when gladly I would go
And squeeze myself on board Bus Number Three
(Or One: I won't play fav'rites), with my friends
A-touring Kennedy Space Center. See,
Another NASA Tweetup's on again!
And Summer Ash and Kelly Hickman are
Both kickin' it with Miles O'Brien's crew
And many other Space Tweeps. I am far
Away, but there in spirits, there with you.
Winos for NASA, here's to you: clink clink.
And FSMspeed to Atlantis! Drink!

In Which A Month Passes

Today's the first when I have thought, in truth
Of skipping on the sonnet-writing. Why?
Well, Twitter's like a smile with no front tooth
Since one of us was lost. I look and cry
Whene'er something reminds me that he's gone.
Today it was the shuttle launch. I gawk
At ev'ry one and know the day will dawn
When up will go the last of them. Such talk
Was part of what I shared with Mac - we feared
The space program had peaked and would decline
Through politics and budget cuts. I cheered
To see Atlantis launch, was feeling fine,
But then, I don't know why, it hit me square:
A month has passed since he left us. Not fair.

In Which I Eschew Eurovision In Favor Of Something Much Geekier

Content with Milton Mermikides' tweets
(There's lots to be content with; that guy knows
Of what he types), and at work, which defeats
All thought of tuning in to catch all those
Weird wannabes do Eurovision, I
Don't try. At any rate, my work PC
Is soundless. Words can't tell of how much my
Heart breaks at this. Instead I chose to see
Day Two of the spacewalk repair work on
The Hubble ACS. That's soundless, too
But fascinating on its own. Forgone
Is the conclusion that I'd rather do
My long-range gawking at some men in space
Than at what seems a musical disgrace.

In Which I Am Flabbergasted Anew At What The Internet Lets Me Do

For me it's just an ordinary day,
My office is unchanged as is my job.
But tech has let me watch as, far away
Two guys did work that still can make me sob.
Mikes Good and Massimo went for a walk
To tweak equipment and change batteries.
I watched them though I couldn't hear them talk.
Now, I'm not just a stalker - I mean please!
The walk was out in space; as for the work
The Hubble Telescope, as job sites go
Makes any job a wonder many'd lurk
To watch in real time. It's amazing. Lo:
The internet allowed me to sit back
And while they worked, just casually keep track.

Yes, Yes, I Am Both A Hubble-Hugger And A Shuttle Shill

Mollosid-free, Atlantis is aloft!
Because of this, space-junkies still may hope
For more of the eye-candy that, so oft
We've gotten from the Hubble telescope,
We'd cry out foul were our supply to stop.
But more than pretty pictures come from there;
Through Hubble we have peered far back in time
As far as 13 billion years, to where
(And when) it all began. She's past her prime
Our Hubble, but once this trip's complete
She'll show us even more, at wavelengths we
Have never seen. It will be no mean feat
To upgrade it. "More like brain surgery"
Than a construction job, we're told. And this
In weightless space! May nothing go amiss!